Blackboard.



E. K. HOPKINS.

BLAGKBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1914. 1,099,748, Patented June 9, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EMILY KATE HOPKINS, GE CNCINNATI, GHIO.

BLACKBOAB-D.

Application tiled January 7, 1914.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June il, 1914.

serial ivo. slaves.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that l, EMILY K. Horknvs, a citizen of the United States, and a resi dent oit Cincinnati, in the county et l-llamilton and State of IOhio, have invented a new and Tmproved Blackboard, of which the 'fol lowing is a full, clear, andv exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in blaekboards, and has for an object to previde a board readily mounted adjacent any wall or other support.

A further object oi the invention is to pro vide a blackboard with movable sections, said sections being designed to be nested, one in front of the other, whenever desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a blackboard structure with a plu rality ot supporting rails at the upper part and co-acting guiding members at the lower' part, together with a board or section for each rail carrying traction means engaging the upper rails so that the various sections may be moved to occupy different positions in relation 'to each other.

n carrying out the object of the invention a framework is provided which is constructed with a lower guiding portion and a plurality et upper rails. These upper rails are arranged parallel, and are adapted to receive rollers or traction means which hold suspended various blackboard sections, whereby any et the sections may be moved back and forth longitudinally of the rails. By this construction and arrangement any particular section except the section on the iront rail may be hid or covered by one or more other sections.

lin the accompanying drawings-li`igure 1 is a i'ront view of an embodiment of the invention, a section of flooring being shown in connection therewith; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. l, a supporting wall or member being shown in connection therewith; Fig. 3 is a section through F ig. l on line 3 3; Fig. l is a tragmentary perspective view of the structure shown in F ig. l; Fig. 5 is a detailed tragmentary sectional view throilgh Fig. 2 on line 5 5. Fig. 6 is a 'fragmentary side view of a slightly modified form et the invention.

Referringr to the accompanying drawings by numeral l indicates the floor et a room and 2 the wall thereof. It is evident that the blackboard embodying the invention could be arranged against any suitable support, andv also on any suitable support in addition to the lloor. Resting on floor l are supporting legs 3 and l, legs 3 preferably extending to the top trame 5, while legs Il extend preferably only to the bottom member 6. The bottom member (5 is provided with a plurality ot' grooves 'Y for guiding the blackboard sections 8. Arranged at the liront of the member t3, or at any point adjacent thereto, is a. support 9 ler crayon, erasers, and the like. The frame 5 is prei'- erably rigidly secured to the legs 3 and has secured 'thereto a plurality of tracks l0. The tracks l0 are preferably rounded on the upper surface so as to receive the respective rollers ll, which rollers are provided with supporting frames l2, riveted, bolted, or otherwise secured to the respective blackboard sections 8.

Each section 8 is preferably provided with two rollers l1, but it will be evident that a greater or even a less number may be used, if desired, without departing trom the spirit of the invention. The rails l0 are separated preferably only a sutlicient distance to allow the various sections 8, to- `ogether with their supporting wheels ll and frames 152, to pass, whereby the various sections may be nested at one point on frame 5, or may be properly distributed along frame 5, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so as to present a blackboard for the full length of frame 5. This is very desirable as in school rooms and elsewhere it is etten necessary to place some matter on part et the board and then cover such matter. `When using the present invention any desired matter may be placed upon any particular section S and then one of the other sections moved in front of the same except the liront section, whereby such matter will be hidden Afrom view and the remaining part of the blackboard may be used in the usual way, or in any desired manner. Also, by the use of movable sections any particular seetion may be moved to a point where the light is goed so that all of the pupils in the school room may easily see the same.

In Fig'. 6 a slightly modified ferm of the invention is shown in which the rails 10 are slightly bowed so as to prevent any sag- The bowing` of the rails shown in Fig. 6 is somewhat exaggerated as preferably the rails are bowed only slightly so as to overcome any tendency to bow downwardly.

l/Vhat I claim isl. In a blackboard of the character described, a frame provided with longitudinal guideways, a plurality of blackboard sections with their lower edge in certain of said guideways, and supporting means arranged at the top of the blackboard engaging other of said guideways for supporting from above said sections, each of said blackboard sections being'arranged in a different vertical plane to the length of each section being a multiple of the length of the frame, whereby said sections may be nested 0r eX- tended so as to display at one time the entire surface 0f all of the sections.

2. In a blackboard ofthe character described, a frame provided with longitudinal guiding members near the lower part thereof, longitudinal supporting and guiding members near the top, a blackboard section for each of the guiding members at the bottom, and a carriage connected to each of said sections engaging the respective guiding and supporting members at the top of said frame, whereby each of said sections may be moved longitudinally of said frame to any desired extent within the limits of the frame, said guiding members at the top and at the bottom being arranged in diiferent vertical planes, and the length of each blackboard section being a multiple of the length of the frame, whereby the entire surfaces of all of said sections may be displayed at one time.

3. In a blackboard of the character described, a frame comprising supporting legs, al bracket at the upper part of said frame for connecting the frame with a lateral support, a guiding member arranged near the bottom of said frame formed with parallel longitudinally arranged grooves extending for the full length of said frame, a guiding and supporting bar arranged above each of said grooves, a blackboard frame arranged in each of said grooves and beneath the respective supporting and guiding bars7 and carriages connected with the upper part of said blackboard sections, said carriages engaging the respective supporting and guiding bars, whereby the blackboard sections are supported from above, and are guided in their movement at the bottom, each of said blackboard sections being arranged in a different plane, the length of each of said blackboard sections being a multiple of the length of said frame whereby said sections may be nested or extended so as to display at one time the entire surfaces of all of the sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMILY KATE HOPKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents` each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Tatents, Washington, D. G. 

